Orchids!

Couch Potato

Our son, when he is not busy moving around, is really good at being a couch potato. He has already perfected the slouch and the blank stare. He is so funny. I am looking forward to taking him to the pool this summer. He loves sitting in his floatie catching the rays.

I love Food!

Why eat at all if you are not going to eat well.
Seriously.
If it doesn't taste good why eat it.
(obviously if you are starving eat!)
I love food. .
Also, don't go shopping or look at food blogs when you are hungry it really does not help you feel any better.
I just want to eat everything i see.
Right now I really want some of that artichoke jalapeino dip from Costco.
I love that stuff. I would really eat it by the spoonful. Like ice cream
I think I may be going to Costco this week..
maybe tonight...

Flower Power

Flowers and Fun

Felix got his first Ballon this week. As you can tell from the photo's he really liked it. Now I say it is his first because his true first he got a Disneyland from a super nice kid, but Felix didn't care. Anyways he loved bopping it around and the next day when it deflated he carried it everywhere and played with it all day. And I spent the day following him around trying to keep him from eating it and popping it. We also have an orchid with a ton of flowers on its spike. It is so pretty I thought I would share it.

New Leaves, Flowers and Roots

I Can Do It All By my Self!

Felix has learned something new this week. He can open up the dishwasher all by himself!

The last of the new plants!

We orders these a while ago. But with all the bad weather they were not able to ship the plants until a few days ago.

Shopping

Have I said how much I like my mother in law? She is awesome. We have had some fun now that everyone is feeling better. We went shopping yesterday at the Outlet Mall in Gilroy. There are some fun shops! I got a few desperately needed items, and a few I didn't need. We are planning our dinners for this weekend. I have really enjoyed cooking together. It is fun to cook with someone who likes it as much as I do! Tomorrow we are making pulled pork and cinnamon rolls fir saturday! We will also be making home made pizza!

Valentines!

We had a nice Valentines day yesterday. I did some online shopping. Which was fun! I only spent and hour on school work I decided it would be ok to give myself the day off. Janell and I made dinner together and I think it was super tasty. Then we watched Mrs. Pettigrew Lives For a Day. It was super cute. A good Valentines day movie. Then I had a late night date with Justin via SKYPE. I love being able to talk to him everyday!!!!! It makes his being so far away almost bearable. Yesterday was also the half way mark. Justin only has a month and a half left in India. I feel like I have so much to do before he gets home. My goal is to be done with all my school work before he gets home. ! class down 3 to go!

Two new flowers

As if we had space...

The Diaper Rash From HELL

So two days ago I noticed that Felix was getting a pretty bad diaper rash. I felt bad because some of it is my fault. I have not been able to smell for two weeks. I never realized how essential smell was for changing poopy diapers. Anyways, I put on some target brand rash ointment and thought nothing. Felix woke up several times that night and when I changed his diaper it was twice as bad. So I tried more ointment. And no improvement. The poor kid was in so much pain. We let him spend the day with no diaper to let him bum dry out. Janell was wonderful and picked up some full strength desitin yesterday and bam! We saw results. He slept better last night and seems to be healing well. So when it comes to diaper rash don't buy the cheep stuff EVER!

Baby's Day Out

New arrivals!

These are our new flowers. They are all saplings so we have many years to go before they are ready to flower.

From Justin

So, I went to the beach yesterday and I went surfing again. The waves weren’t great; some were a little bigger, but they were less consistent. During the first part of the day I wasn’t catching any waves and realized that I was too far back on my board, so I moved a tiny bit and I caught nearly every wave I tried for after that, which was a total of 3. As I predicted, I stood up on the second wave I caught. That means that on my fourth try I stood up and rode a wave. Not a bad learning curve.

I’ve learned a few basic things about surfing that I think you should know. Firstly, I always wondered why people were wearing shirts while they surfed. How could a little shirt make such a big difference in the water? Well, it turns out that they’re rash shirts, and I really wish that I had one, because the wax on the board is tearing up my chest BAD.

Secondly, I have to tell myself, every time I get into the ocean, that even though there are sharks in the water they probably aren’t going to eat me, even if I DO look exactly like a dying seal. Shark attacks are a statistical anomaly, outliers on the “fun in the ocean scale”, besides that there are no seals here in India (at least not in Vizag). So I keep paddling and try not to think about how much a look like a dying seal. Did I mention that It’s hard not to think about how much I look like a dying seal?

Lastly, wear sunscreen.

Today, I went with Amy to the beach so that we could watch, film, and get to know some of the people in the local surf club, the Dolphin Yachting Association. It was nice to converse a little and generally get to know them better...almost like we were friends because we had a mutual interest rather than just because we were white. The people in the club are genuinely interested in the sport and it’s nice that they’re generally uninterested in our money. We pay to rent boards, but they aren’t asking us for money, or finding ways to get on our good side so that we will give them money. It’s refreshing that they don’t want our money.

While we were there, a little surfer boy picked up a pigeon from the roost they keep and threw it into the air like a football. It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while. Also, one of the women said that my webbed toes meant that I would have twins when I got married (I didn’t want to explain to her that I’m already married and have a kid. She speaks no english), and since it was on both feet, a pair of twins...or quadruplets, I didn’t quite catch what it was. At any rate, watch out Katie!

The media also showed up and wanted to film Amy surfing, so even though it was sunday she was coaxed into the water. Hopefully it gives the club some good press so that they can get members and government support.

Just to let you know, the camera situation isn’t any better. I’m pretty sure that I’m just not going to get another camera. I’ll bum pics off other people, cause I don’t really want to spend the 150 dollars. Whatever.
This last thursday three really great things happened.
1. I saw a Maoist demonstration downtown. it wasn’t anything big, but about 15 people (out of a city of 2 million mind you) gathered to demonstrate, waving the sickle and hammer. My first communist demonstration sighting!

2. I finally got to lift weights. I went to the slummy place that I mentioned, and even though the accommodations are somewhat primitive, it was what I needed.

3. While I was sitting in my apartment a crow strolled in through my door and perched right underneath my chair. I was pretty impressed by such a gutsy move, so I fed the little sucker and gave it some water. That bird was so unconcerned with my presence that I reached out and touched it’s feathers and even pet it a little. The bird knew exactly what I was doing and didn’t show a single shred of aggression. The bird seemed happy enough in my apartment so I let it stay for a while. It wasn’t bothering me and I figured it was probably a nice break from the cold pecking order of the wild. When I told the washerman (who lives in my apartment) he went over to the bird, grabbed it, and handed it to me. The bird didn’t seem to mind being held and sat in my hand comfortably, without me having to do anything. Finally, I let the bird go, or rather, forced it to leave my hand. It must have been extremely tame, insane, or sick, and my guess goes to the last of the three. A wild bird just doesn’t let you grab it and hold it without some kind of resistance! Maybe a snack and a drink of water is just what it needed to get feeling better again.

Also, just to rub it in Collin’s face, Tyrannosaurus Rex had feathers. It’s in the most recent National Geographic.


Justin

To get through the month

So I made it! one month without Justin. I figures I could do it since I was without him for bout 25 years, but still it has not been easy. Me and Felix being sick for most of the month has been helpful. I have been super distracted and not really coherent. This has made time also go very quickly so that has been really nice. I am of to a great start for February. I still have a ton of sinus pressure and a nasty cough. But I am feeling better. I am looking forward to a great month.

Music days

Man today I just could notget enough music.
I listened to:
Peter Gabriel
Me without You
Iron and wine
Julian Plenti
I really am enjoying this mix.